Ditch the TV: TCL’s A1s 1080p smart projector with Google TV and Netflix drops by $60 at Amazon

A portable cinema that follows you around

If you've been staring at the same tired wall behind your TV and wondering whether there's a more flexible way to handle movie nights, Mashable reports that TCL's A1s smart projector is currently $60 off at Amazon, dropping to $339.99 from its usual $399.99 price tag. That's a 15% markdown on a gadget that has been quietly reshaping how people think about the "big screen" experience at home — and at this price, it sidesteps the usual excuse about portable projectors being a luxury.

What you're actually getting

The A1s isn't trying to be a 4K flagship, and honestly that's part of the appeal. It runs native 1080p and pushes up to 600 ISO lumens, which means it's bright enough for a dimly lit living room or a shaded backyard, though you'll want to pull the curtains if the afternoon sun is pouring in. Autofocus and keystone correction handle the fiddly setup bits for you, so you're not spending twenty minutes nudging the image into shape every time you move the thing — a small detail that makes a real difference when you actually live with a gadget.

It weighs under four pounds and has a built-in carrying handle, which sounds like a throwaway spec until you realize you can grab it and take it to a friend's place, the backyard, or a camping trip without much fuss. The 8W speakers with Dolby Audio won't replace a soundbar, but for casual viewing they're perfectly adequate, so you won't need to drag an extra Bluetooth speaker out for a quick movie session.

Google TV means less fiddling

Here's where the A1s earns its place as a daily appliance rather than a gadget you dust off twice a year. Google TV is built right in, so Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and the rest of your streaming subscriptions are right there on the home screen. No extra streaming stick, no extra HDMI cable clutter, no second remote to lose between the couch cushions. For anyone tired of the cable-juggling act behind their entertainment center, that kind of all-in-one simplicity matters more than any spec sheet will tell you.

The projector can throw an image up to 150 inches, which is genuinely enormous, though realistically you'll be happier somewhere in the 80 to 120-inch range depending on your wall space and how far back you can sit.

Who this actually works for

If your living room doubles as a multipurpose space and a permanent big TV feels like overkill, or if you want something you can roll out for backyard movie nights and tuck away the next morning, the A1s hits a practical sweet spot. It's not the brightest or the sharpest projector you can buy, but it handles the everyday scenarios most people actually care about: easy setup, familiar streaming apps, and the freedom to move it wherever the night takes you. For anyone chasing top-tier home theater image quality, this isn't that — but at $339.99, it doesn't pretend to be. It's a low-friction way to get a much bigger picture than your current setup without committing to a wall-mounted display you'll regret in two years.

Connected living doesn't stop at the front door, either — if your idea of upgrading daily life extends beyond the living room, the Mercedes-Benz GLA EV debuting with 657km range and 800V charging tech is worth a look at how the same idea is playing out on four wheels.